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Have you ever had a stuffed pancake? I just discovered them and I am embarrassed to admit that when G and I were getting married we registered for this funky pan with all these wells in it because we thought it looked cool (sadly, that is still how I pick out most of my kitchen tools). We had every intention of making stuffed pancakes, or ebelskivers, every weekend & making it a little weekend tradition, but we’ve been married for close to four years and I just broke out the pan last week 😐

I would like to think that my future self whispered in my young, newly engaged ear and told my younger self that this pan was indeed a necessity in every grown-ups kitchen and that I haaaaad to register for it. Regardless of why we ended up with this stuffed pancake pan, I am so thankful because (as my future self predicted) I AM OBSESSED WITH IT!You guys, you can make little adorable pancake balls & stuff them with anything from cinnamon sugar (which we will be learning below) to bacon, sprinkles, chocolate, fruit mixture, probably even booze if you tried hard enough.

While they do have a little bit of a learning curve (the flipping takes some practice), they are well worth the trial & error. Perfect for a fun Saturday morning breakfast in bed, a happy breakfast if you are entertaining guests, or even as a little weekend tradition. Here are the tools you need:

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So, before we get started, a little history lesson on the old ebelskivers. They are sassy little pancakes from Denmark that are soft & fluffy on the inside & crispy and browned on the outside (basically heaven). Traditionally, they are served with powdered sugar, topped with jam, and served with coffee for a mid-morning snack. While I would love to be that indulgent, we are going to repurpose these bad boys for a lovely little breakfast treat!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

Are y’all ready for the most delicious thing your Monday has ever seen? It’s boozy, chocolatey, & perfect for literally every occasion. It’s our new favorite dessert, the Chocolate Whiskey Cake! One bite of this & your life will be changed forever! xoxo, LK

Hello there! Constance here. Confession: I definitely ate more than half of that cake pictured above. I’m not sure how it happened, but just beware, it’s sort of dangerous! Perfect for a birthday, celebration, “hooray we made it through Monday” party, or just because – no matter the occasion, this cake is perfect for a crowd and will please even the most dessert averse friends. Trust me when I say this, you are about to become everyone’s favorite baker. Bring this to your next dinner party & you could start a fan club. Not such a terrible thing to be known for fantastic whiskey cake, you know?

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CAKE:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 4 8-inch cake pans with coconut oil spray & in a medium sized saucepan, slowly melt the dark chocolate and set aside to cool.
2. Bring the water to a boil, add the espresso and cocoa powder and set aside to cool. Add the chocolate to the espresso/cocoa mixture, and whisk until evenly combined.
3. In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking powder and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whip the butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, sugar and vanilla and beat until combined.
4. Add the whiskey to the coffee/cocoa mix and then combine that mix with the batter. Slowly add the flour mixture to the batter. Beat until evenly combined. Divide batter evenly amongst pans and bake for 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
5. Let cool for 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ICING:

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites and sugar until until the mixture becomes a meringue (approx. 10 minutes.) Slowly add the cubed butter and mix until smooth. Add the vanilla, melted chocolate and whip until smooth.
2. Frost cake and top with a light dusting of cinnamon and the sweet dark cherries.

Happy pre-Friday, friends! Hopefully you’ve got something fun planned this weekend. Spring has decided to get off to a bit of a lazy start, so we are planning to curl up and be a little lazy – hey, you got to take it where you can, you know 😉

Easter is this weekend and we thought it could be fun to whip up a pre-brunch breakfast recipe. We’ve made doughnuts (remember these lemon ones with grapefruit glaze?) & we’ve even tried our hand at gluten-free guys (tell me you haven’t forgotten about these chocolate beauties with espresso glaze?!) but we’ve never tried our hand at festive holiday doughnuts….and by that I, of course, mean playing around with pastel icing.

This recipe is fantastically simple, fool-proof, and really fun – plus, it leaves your house smelling like a delicious bakery & no one can be upset about that. Give it a try & tell us what you think. Want to use a light blue icing instead of pink, do it! Play around & have fun – that’s the best part.

3. Pour the mixture into a doughnut pan & bake until 10-14 minutes. Remove & place on wire rack to cool.

4. While your donuts are cooling, it’s time to whip up the icing! In a medium mixing bowl, add your powdered sugar, unsweetened almond milk, and vanilla extract, mix well until nice & smooth. If you want two different color icings, evenly separate into two batches & add in food coloring. To get this pink color, use one drop of red – for purple, use one red & one purple. Mix well until color is thoroughly blended.

5. Place a paper towel under your wire rack, put the donuts on the wire rack, and glaze away!

Now comes the fun part! Grab some coconut flakes, sprinkles, edible flowers from the grocery story, or heck even some extra Easter egg candy & get to decorating.

Having friends over? Save the decorating for when they arrive & have a fun little donut decorating party. Easter eggs are great and all, but I’ll take a donut decorating party any day!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions , food obsessions, and bad jokes are mine.

There comes a time in every website’s life when the bubble-gummed & bootstrapped, “I did it myself!” look no longer cuts it. We had one of those moments at the end of 2015 & decided that if we were going to be taken seriously as website full of thoughtful living pieces, entertaining tips, and killer cocktails, it’s time we started looking the part!

So, like every good creative, we decided to re-create ourself. We ditched the blog-like layout, changed our color palette, revamped the home page, & swapped out our flats for a shiny new pair of gold metallic wedges.

HERE ARE SOME FUN NEW THINGS TO EXPLORE:

Shout out to the web design wizards, Kelly & Andra of With Grace and Gold. They are fabulous design unicorns that dreamt up the new website look and executed it like a dream. While not only a joy to work with, these girls are freakishly talented and very well priced. If you are in the market for branding, website design, or brand strategy, I couldn’t recommend anyone else more highly!

Looking for that perfect cake to bring to a get-together, brunch, or shower? Well ladies, step aside, because Elizabeth is flexing her cake decorating skills and showing us how to master the most delicious cake known to mankind – the blood orange cake with honey mascarpone frosting. I mean, it’s pure perfection!

It’s stunning, delicious, and a total showstopper! Get the skinny from Elizabeth below. Love what you see, tell us your thoughts below! – xoxo, LK

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 Cups of cake flour

1 1/2 Cups of granulated sugar

1 Teaspoon of course salt

1 Tablespoon of baking powder

5 Large eggs, separated

1/2 Cup of blood orange juice or your favorite citrus juice

1 Tablespoon of blood orange zest

1/2 Cup of vegetable oil

+ extra flour & non stick baking spray for cake tins

HONEY MASCARPONE FROSTING

1 Stick of unsalted butter at room temp

8 Oz of mascarpone cheese or cream cheese

1 1/2 Teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

1 Teaspoon of salt

3-4 Tablespoons of honey

4 Cups of powdered sugar

*milk on an as needed base

INSTRUCTIONS:

*For this recipe I used three 6-inch cake tins, two 8-inch will work as well. Spray cake tins with non stick spray and spread flour thinly on sides and bottom of tins, set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. In a large mixing bowl sift cake flour and add in salt and baking powder and set aside.

1. In a large bowl separate egg yolks and whites into 2 large bowls, reserve the yolks. With a stand or hand mixer fitted with a wire whip, whip egg whites until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Set aside.

2. With a stand or hand mixer combine sugar and egg yolks. Slowly pour in vegetable oil and blood orange juice and zest, mix. Add flour mixture to wet mixture in three separate segments mixing until just combined after each one. Remove from mixer and gently fold in egg whites until incorporated.

*Whisking your egg whites separately and gently folding them in will ensure a light and airy cake batter. Pour evenly into cake tins and bake for 20-25 mins. Cakes are done when a tooth pick comes out clean. Cool for 30 mins. Take a knife and make a ring around the tin sides, if any of the cake has stuck this will help release it. With a serrated knife edge cut any dome tops off your cakes.

3. In a large mixing bowl with a stand or hand mixer beat butter, mascarpone cheese, vanilla extract, salt and honey until light and fluffy, about 3 mins. Add in 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time, checking for texture after each addition. Add in one tablespoon of milk as needed to thin frosting.

Hello & Happy Monday, you beautiful birds! It’s chocolate day here at LK HQ and we are busting out a good one – chocolate fudge! It’s pure heaven and it’s perfect to share, gift, or indulge in after a good meal. Thankfully, Foodie Bad Ass Constance Higley brings her A-game and knocks this guy out of the park. Can’t wait to hear what y’all think! – xoxo, LK

Hello friends! Constance here. Remember how we said Mondays were made for chocolate? We weren’t kidding. It’s what we live for…at least on Mondays. I’ve always steered clear from any sort of fudge recipe, thinking it was way out of my league. And the whole tahini thing (see recipe) threw me for a complete loop. But like with anything that may seem scary, once you get started you realize it’s truly easy and so worth it. And any recipe that I can make the day before a dinner party and freeze overnight is 1000 times worth it!

If you love chocolate, dessert, a good time, or a delicious recipe – this little guy is absolutely for you! Check it out and see what I mean…

INGREDIENTS:

-1/2 cup pure maple syrup

-3 tablespoons coconut oil

-340g hulled tahini

-2 tablespoons cocoa powder

-3 teaspoons vanilla extract

-sea salt flakes

INSTRUCTIONS:

-Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper.

-Slowly heat the maple syrup and coconut oil until just melted.

-Remove mixture from heat and add the tahini, cocoa powder and vanilla extract.

Ooh man, do we have something delicious for you! Meet your new favorite holiday cake – the Cranberry Cake with Chocolate Buttercream. I mean…what?! It’s gorgeous, delicious, and perfect for literally every single holiday occasion…ever. forever. no questions asked. Don’t believe me? Scroll down and see for yourself! – xoxo, LK

Elizabeth here! Is everyone getting so excited for the holidays?! I know I am! I love watching people who wouldn’t normally step food into the kitchen the rest of the 335 days of the year, which is why I brought you this! This cake looks kind of intimidating but when you take a deeper look it is actually so simple and can be used as an amazing table centerpiece. It’s festive and tastes delicious. Two birds. One stone. Happy holidays everyone!

INGREDIENTS

Cake

3 Cups of all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon of baking powder

1 Teaspoon of salt

1 Cup / 2 Sticks of unsalted butter at room temp

2 Cups of granulated sugar

3 Eggs

1 Cup of whole milk

2 Teaspoons of vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon of orange zest

1 ½ Cups of chopped fresh cranberries

½ Cup of white chocolate chips

Buttercream

1 Cup / 2 Sticks of unsalted butter at room temp

1 Teaspoon of salt

1 Teaspoon of vanilla extract

3 Cups of powdered sugar

4 Oz of white chocolate melted

5 Tablespoons of heavy cream

Glittered cranberries

2 Cups of whole fresh cranberries

1 Cup of water

1 Cup of brown sugar

1 Cup of granulated sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large bowl mix dry ingredients (flour + baking powder + salt) and set aside. In a large mixing bowl with a stand or hand mixer beat butter until light and fluffy for about 3-5 minutes. Add in sugar and vanilla extract and continue to beat until pale in color for about 5 minutes. Slowly add in one egg at a time mixing after each addition and continuously scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in flour and milk in three increments alternating between milk and flour mixtures until just beaten. Remove beaters and fold in cranberries, orange zest, and white chocolate chips. Pour evenly into 3- 6-inch cake tins or 2 – 9 inch cake tins and bake for 30-40 mins until a toothpick comes out clean. About 15 minutes after baking run a knife around the side of cake tin and remove. Allow cooling for another 45 mins on a cooling rack.

For buttercream

In a large mixing bowl beat butter, vanilla extract and salt until light and fluffy. Add in powdered sugar in three increments; be sure to scrape down sides of bowl after each addition. Slowly beat in melted white chocolate and heavy cream. *Note you may need more or less heavy cream depending on white type of climate you live in. The frosting consistency should be spreadable but not runny.

For glittered cranberries

In a large saucepan melt brown sugar and water until brown sugar has dissolved. Pour mixture over cranberries in a glass bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Drain cranberries and toss in granulated sugar twice to create an even glitter coating. Garnish with fresh rosemary springs + glittered cranberries.

Happy Monday, babe-trons! As the weather gets colder, our food is getting cozier – not a bad trade off, right? The fabulous Food Contributor Elizabeth is here showing us how to whip up the most delicious, mouth-watering, autumnal cinnamon rolls ever. They are pumpkin spice and made with love and we cannot get enough of them! See what we mean below! – xoxo, LK

Hello, hello! Elizabeth here & I made these swirly beauties just last week and haven’t stopped thinking about them. You know that smell when your walking in an indoor mall and the whole place kind of smells like feet and sweaty kids? But then, you turn a corner and suddenly it hits you in the face… that then is that wonderfully intoxicating Cinnabon smell. The smell that you can feel through your nostrils from three stores down. The smell that just suddenly has you reaching for $5 in your wallet. I swear I think they pump it through their air vent as a marketing tool, ha! But my whole little two bedroom apartment was flooded with this smell while I had these pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls in the oven.

These were pretty easy to make but they are a little time consuming. If you plan on making them for breakfast I would give yourself an extra hour or two in the morning so the dough has proper time to rise. This is more of a lazy Sunday afternoon treat. I filled mine with a cinnamon brown sugar mixture and drizzled them with a warm vanilla bean icing. You can try mixing maple or coffee into your icing instead of milk. Whatever flavor you like best with pumpkin!

INGREDIENTS FOR CINNAMON ROLLS

-1/4 Ounce package yeast

-1/2 Cup of warm water

-1/2 Cup of warm milk

-1/4 Cup of sugar

-1/3 Cup of butter melted

-1 Teaspoon of salt

-1 Egg

-3 – 3 1/2 Cups of flour

INGREDIENTS FOR PUMPKIN FILLING

-1 1/2 Cup of pumpkin puree

-3/4 Cup of brown sugar

-2 Teaspoons of vanilla extract

-2 Teaspoons of cinnamon

-1 Teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice

-1/3 Cup Diced Pecans optional

INGREDIENTS FOR ICING

-1/2 Cup of warmed milk

-3 Tablespoons of butter melted

-2 Cups of powdered sugar

-1/2 Vanilla bean, scraped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Dissolve yeast into hot water. While yeast is dissolving combine sugar melted butter, salt and egg into a large bowl. Mix in two cups of flour and then mix in yeast + water mixture.

2. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. The dough should be elastic but not sticky.

3. Sprinkle flour over a large surface and knead for 5-10 minutes. Place in a large well- greased bowl (I sprayed mine with pam) and cover with two clean dishtowels without touching the dough.

4. Place in an unheated oven for an hour to double in size.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

6. Punch down the dough and roll out into a large rectangle. Spread pumpkin filling mixture evenly over rolled out dough and sprinkle with pecans (optional). Roll the dough and cut into slices. Place into cast iron pan/casserole dishes close together. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

7. Mix together powdered sugar, vanilla bean, butter and slowly add in milk until you have reached your desired consistency.

Hip, hip, HOORAY! It’s another vegetable flatbread recipe! We are on a little bit of a flatbread kick, but can you blame us? They are easy, delicious, and super fun to make. Last week we were talking roasted shallots & pomegranates, today it’s all about the vegetables. The more the merrier I say! Scroll down & see what’s for dinner tonight – xoxo, LK

Hello beautiful people! Constance here. I hope you all had the most magical fall weekend! I must confess, I got so excited about all things fall/winter/holidays that I accidentally started listening to Christmas music this weekend. Am I ashamed? Nope.

Living in the desert has made me realize that I have to change things up a bit to make the most of the holidays. That means start early and go all out! Really getting ahead of myself in several ways here. I may be blaring my Ella Fitzgerald holiday station all the live long day, but I’m definitely still celebrating fall. Since we don’t really have much changing of the leaves here in the desert, I’m getting my color fix from all of the beautiful fall veggies from our neighborhood farmers market. Example? Our newest little flatbread creation!

INGREDIENTS FOR DOUGH:

-2 c. whole wheat flour

-1 pkg. or 1 tbsp. active dry yeast

-3/4 tsp. salt

-1 c. warm water

-1 tbsp. olive oil

-1 tsp. honey

INGREDIENTS FOR FLATBREAD:

-1 small purple onion, thinly sliced

-1 large watermelon radish, thinly sliced

-2 medium sized heirloom carrots

-1 small handful fresh sage leaves

-pesto

-1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

-fresh cracked pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

-Pour flour into a large mixing bowl.

-Add yeast and salt. Mix well.

-Add water, oil and honey; mix well.

-Cover with a moist cloth and place in a warm spot for 10 minutes to rise.

-Place dough on a lightly floured surface and slowly spread and press the dough into your desired thickness and shape.

-Lightly coat the dough with a thin layer of pesto.

-Top the flatbread with the crumbled goat cheese and vegetables.

-Bake at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

It’s no secret that Fall is my absolute favorite season of a time & October is my most favorite month. The colors are perfect, it’s finally time to bust out those adorable sweaters and boots you’ve been coveting all year, and the flavors of this season are amazing. You’ve probably also gathered that we here at LK HQ are coffee hounds. We devised a test to see what type of coffee drinker we are& we are obsessed with mastering the perfect pour over.

Indulging in the celebrated Pumpkin Spice Latte during fall may be cliche, but it’s delicious so I don’t care. But lines get manic and October seems to be a bit of a hectic month all around. Thankfully, the fabulous folks at Starbucks understood our time vs line dilemma and sent over the most fabulous Fall goodies for us to sample. The most surprising of which was the Via Ready Brew Pumpkin Spice Latte mix.

Absolutely doubting that it wouldn’t be even close to the real thing, we whipped up a cup almost immediately and I was totally amazed. It’s amazing! It’s less sweet than the drink is in stores, it takes about 2 seconds to make, and not only is it a time saver, you save a bunch of money as well! For $8 you get 6 packets, which is basically the cost of a Venti in stores.

I know, I didn’t believe it either, but the same sweet and spicy flavors are all there and the rich and creamy taste hasn’t left. Take a little taste test of your own! Run to your local grocery store (yes, grocery store) and grab a box of the Via Instant Pumpkin Spice Latte and see for yourself!Add some cinnamon & nutmeg for some extra spice, put a dollop of whipped cream if you are feeling especially decadent, or sneak a shot of whiskey or bourbon for a fancy gal Hot Toddie. Either way, you are going to be singing this instant PSL’s praises & we don’t blame you!